Simpson University
Private College in Redding, CA. Six-year graduation rate 49%. Median 10-year earnings $54,340.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $54,340 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Six-year completion sits at 49%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Median debt at graduation is $18,750, roughly typical for an undergraduate degree.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.35 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Simpson University admits 86% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is small at 823, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable. Yield sits at 24% — the remainder of admitted students enroll elsewhere or not at all.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Simpson University →Academics
Completion is middling: 49% finish inside six years. 60% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about two in five are gone before sophomore year. The student-faculty ratio is 17:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major. As a private nonprofit four-year college, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. The undergraduate body is just 755, which shapes everything from class size to how often a required course is offered.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 751 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price averages $28,653 annually, so cost is the first thing to weigh here. Net price varies modestly by income — $25,511 at $0–30k against $30,163 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 94% of students get grant aid averaging $23,077, so the published price is a poor guide to what most pay. Borrowing is widespread: 62% take federal loans.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 145 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $25,511 |
| $30–48k | $22,738 |
| $48–75k | $28,479 |
| $75–110k | $29,656 |
| $110k+ | $30,163 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 469 of these 751 students, totalling $3,545,910 — an average of $7,561 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Shasta County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)